Always Take The Weather
by acetamide
Summary: Peter visits Nathan two years after the Linderman Act is passed. Petrellicest.


LOL Petrellicest. Hey, look! My first foray into the Heroes fandom, originally posted last August at the flyingpetrellis comm.

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Nathan sits in his chair as President, the camera facing him, lights glaring at his face accusingly as he prepares for another public address

Nathan sits in his chair as President, the camera facing him, lights glaring at his face accusingly as he prepares for another public address. The prompt is ready, he's got his makeup on (god forbid) and they're dead on time. Two minutes ago, the sun shining down on the White House fractured into a million shards as the heavens split open and torrential rain poured down on the east coast, nearly drowned out by the sound of the howling wind as the sudden storm whipped around the building.

"We are going live in five, four…"

He tries to quench the nerves that threaten to make him look like a fool – he should be used to this after three years of being in power. He's still not.

"_My fellow Americans."_

He pauses as he feels a gust of warm wind on the back of his neck, making him shiver slightly.

"_Today marks the second anniversary of the meta-human legislation coming into force."_

He hears a quiet rustle behind his chair, ignores it, carries on reading off the prompt.

"_For two years now, meta-humans in America have had the same rights as any other human beings. In a changing world, our changing DNA appears to be fundamental in our quest to continue forward."_

He takes a sharp breath as he feels a hand creep onto his shoulder, curl around, and he can feel the inhuman warmth even though he can't see it.

"_Today, we celebrate our freedom. We celebrate the freedom of meta-humans. We celebrate the human being's fundamental willingness for equality. The equal right to live as all people should be able to, no matter what their age, race, or DNA."_

The hand is on the back of his neck, stroking in small circles gently, and Nathan hears his voice shake as the fingers alternate between hot and cold as snow begins to fall outside.

"_Today, we celebrate a milestone in American history. As I speak, the necessary actions are being taken to turn this legislation into an International Meta-Human Rights Act, so that all over the world, meta-humans will be permitted to live – and love –" _he nearly sighs as lips touch his neck, soft and light, sparking electric against his skin, _"alongside humans, as they rightfully should. Today, we celebrate America leading the modern world into a modern way of thinking._

"_Today, we celebrate freedom._

"_Thank you for listening."_

He's not concentrating as the TV crew pack up their equipment, he's too busy thinking about the hot-cold hands on his neck, on his shoulder and hands and chest. He responds automatically to his assistant, and asks her not to disturb him in a voice that he's sure isn't his but knows must be, because those electric lips are slowly chipping away at his sanity.

"Illusion's up."

As soon as he says it, Peter shimmers into existence right beside him, lips brushing his ear as the sun breaks through the snow clouds outside.

"I bet you thought that was really funny." He says grumpily, standing abruptly and going over to the sofa, loosening his tie and sitting down. His little brother is still leaning against the high-backed chair, grinning his lop-sided grin.

"You know I could have done a lot worse." He points out, and Nathan has to agree.

And then suddenly Peter's mouth is on his, hot and urgent and oh so familiar.

Nathan's not sure if it's some new power of Peter's that he hasn't yet managed to get complete control over, or if it's just Peter, but not for the first time during one of these encounters he finds himself not really knowing what's going on. It's like he's watching someone else's memory of a dream, like trying to watch it on water that he's holding in cupped hands.

Peter's hands, burning him hot and cold, leaving wet trails where they grip him.

Peter's mouth, sparking with electricity and leaving small black marks that sizzle and fade and heal, tickling his skin as wisps of smoke swirl over him.

Peter arching up over him on the sofa, welcoming him, using their shared flight without thinking, gasping and shuddering and shimmering in an involuntary invisible moment.

Peter's powers running rampant as he comes closer and closer to the edge, his telekinesis exploding a sherry glass on the desk, his radiation searing Nathan's skin, his new healing soothing the burns, his flight raising him from Nathan, his super-strength leaving bruises where he holds onto Nathan as though he's the only thing anchoring him to life…

And then Nathan's eyes roll back and he sees white as he follows Peter over and into oblivion, streaks of lightning ripping through the atmosphere, thunder crackling so loudly that it sounds like the sky's about to fall. The world is temporarily blinded as Peter comes, shouting Nathan's name, his voice echoed in the thunder in hundreds of storm systems over the earth. He comes flying back down, gasping for breath.

The world falls silent.

Neither of them speaks for a long while, foreheads pressed together and breath coming ragged and shared, they're so close. It's Nathan who breaks the silence as a rainbow appears over the White House.

"Pretty wacky weather for July, don't you think?"

Peter chokes out a laugh and collapses onto his brother, smiling.

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Comments welcome & much appreciated.


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